Civil Air Patrol • Level One Foundations Course • Module Two
Policies
GOALS FOR THIS MODULE
Explain CAP’s policy on:
1. Ethics
2. Diversity
3. Safety
4. Cadet protection
5. Operations Security (OPSEC)
Civil Air Patrol is a professional organization
made up of volunteer members throughout the
nation. CAP members are expected to meet
certain standards of conduct and performance.
Civil Air Patrol’s more than 65 years of public
service to America rests on a deep public trust.
That trust and partnership with the United
States Air Force requires the highest levels of
conduct and performance.
Membership in Civil Air Patrol is a privilege and
requires certain obligations as well as a
personal commitment to understand and follow
CAP rules, regulations, and policies. That
commitment was made when the individual
applied for membership and signed the
following Oath of Application.
I understand membership in Civil Air
Patrol is a privilege, not a right, and that
membership is on a year-to-year basis
subject to annual renewal by CAP. I further
understand failure to meet membership
eligibility criteria will result in automatic
termination at any time.
I understand only Civil Air Patrol
corporate officers are authorized to
obligate funds, equipment, or services.
Ethics
I understand Civil Air Patrol is not liable
for loss or damage to my personal property
when operated for or by Civil Air Patrol.
Civil Air Patrol has an CAP Ethics Policy. As a
matter of fundamental principle, Civil Air Patrol
will adhere to the highest ethical standards
because it is the right thing to do. This policy
tasks all CAP members and employees to
perform their missions in a manner that brings
credit to the organization and to themselves.
Ethics can be defined in many ways: a set of
principles and values that govern behavior,
motivation based on ideas of right and wrong,
moral principles of interaction with others, and,
I voluntarily subscribe to the objectives
and purposes of Civil Air Patrol and agree
to be guided by the CAP Constitution and
Bylaws and comply with CAP rules and
regulations as from time to time may be
amended or promulgated.
I agree to abide by the decisions of those in
authority of Civil Air Patrol.
1
Feb 2010
simply, a code of conduct. Values relate to
determining what is right or wrong and ethics
relate to doing what is right or wrong.
CAP ethics are built on a foundation of
accountability, integrity, fairness, and
excellence. Values such as courage,
responsibility, justice, openness, truthfulness,
and respect are integral to CAP’s commitment
to an ethical code of conduct. All members are
active participants in promoting and
safeguarding the CAP corporate culture of
value-based ethics.
No board or staff member or volunteer may use
corporate property, information, or position for
improper personal gain or benefit. Any
individual who becomes aware of a conflict of
interest or potential conflict of interest must
report it appropriately.
“When values are shared by all members
of an organization, they are
extraordinarily important tools for
making judgments, assessing probable
outcomes of contemplated actions, and
choosing among alternatives.”
3. Working relationships based on mutual
respect, fairness, and openness.
National Defense University
Strategic Leadership and Decision Making
Chapter 15: Values and Ethics
The Civil Air Patrol Standards of Ethics include,
but are not limited to, the following:
Board members, staff, and volunteers will
behave honestly and ethically at all times and
with all people. Individuals will not take unfair
advantage of anyone through manipulation,
intimidation, concealment, abuse of privileged
information, misrepresentation of material
facts, or any other unfair practice.
1. Responsible stewardship of CAP’s
resources and assets.
4. Fair dealing in all external business
relationships.
This includes effective accounting and reporting
systems, internal controls, and competent staff.
Only fair and inclusive hiring and promotional
policies and practices will be used for all board,
staff, and volunteer positions. Integrity and
honesty must be utilized in all transactions and
dealings.
In order to preserve public perception of CAP,
board members, staff, and volunteers will act in
good faith, with due care, and shall engage only
in fair and open competition, by treating
ethically all competitors, suppliers, customers,
and colleagues. No gift or entertainment that is
excessive in nature or is not consistent with
customary business practices will be accepted
by board members, staff, or volunteers.
Ethical Standards
2. Avoidance of any conflicts of interest.
2
Feb 2010
5. Confidentiality.
members. To look at CAP is to look at the fabric
of America.
Board members, staff, and volunteers must
protect all sensitive and confidential
information entrusted to them.
For every member to feel included and valued,
the processes and tasks of day-to-day life in
CAP units should reflect the respect for
diversity in the CAP culture. CAP not only
enforces policies that do not tolerate unequal
treatment of members but also encourages a
positive message of accepting all qualified
Civil Air Patrol takes adherence to the Ethics
Policy very seriously. Any member or employee
may immediately report a suspected violation
through his or her respective chain of
command. Any commander or supervisor who
is made aware of an allegation of nonadherance
to the Ethics Policy shall report it in accordance
with the appropriate CAP or employee directive.
In order to continue the tradition of excellence,
integrity, and service to America, the Ethics
Policy was created and compliance with this
policy has been made mandatory. A member is
not required to sign a copy of this policy, but
membership in CAP is contingent upon
acceptance of and adherance to the policy.
Diversity
CAP welcomes any qualified person into its
ranks and values the contributions of all of its
members. CAP also believes that to truly be an
organization representative of America and to
fully benefit from the creativity and experience
of its members, the organizationn should reflect
the diverse nature of the nation’s populace in its
membership.
people into its ranks. CAP’s core values of
Integrity, Volunteer Service, Excellence, and
Respect know no color, gender, ethnic,
religious, or any other categorization.
Civil Air Patrol maintains a policy of
nondiscrimination, and all of its members are
expected to adhere to this policy. No member of
CAP shall be excluded from participation based
on race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin,
or disability. If a member believes that
discrimination has occurred, he or she can
submit a complaint in writing to the group or
CAP is an organization of people of all ages,
races, religions, ethnic origins, and genders. It
includes people from all professions, of all
educational levels, and with a wide range of
skills, talents, and abilities. The age span of
CAP members is truly unique; ages range from
12-year-old cadets to 95-year-old charter
3
Feb 2010
wing inspector general. The CAP
nondiscrimination policy is detailed in CAPR
36-2, Complaints Under the Civil Air Patrol
Nondiscrimination Policy.
Safety
Safety is a priority in everything members do in
Civil Air Patrol. Whether for ground safety or
flight safety, the responsibility rests with the
individual to ensure that risk to people is
minimized and assets are protected. Safety
cannot simply be a buzzword. It must be
ingrained in CAP culture and everyday life.
Each level of command shall formally appoint a
safety officer with qualifications appropriate to
the local risk environment. Whenever possible,
and especially in flying units, members with
flying experience should be selected. In
addition, each activity commander shall appoint
a safety officer for that activity. Members in
command positions should not serve as safety
officers.
The goal of the CAP Safety Program is to
minimize the risks faced by the membership in
the performance of their volunteer duties. All
levels of command shall work in partnership to
develop effective safety education and accident
prevention measures to
safeguard members and
preserve CAP’s physical
resources. They shall
seek to instill a culture
of safety that guides the
planning and execution
of every CAP activity.
Safety officers are tasked with the development
of a program of regular safety education and
accident prevention training for the units to
which they are assigned. This program shall
deliver no less than 15 minutes per month (or
three hours per year) of face-to-face education
and training to the membership. At least once
annually, Operational Risk Management (ORM)
will be discussed. New members will receive
ORM familiarization training, and current
members will receive an ORM review.
Individual members should adhere to the CAP
motto of “Always Vigilant” in planning,
conducting, and participating in all CAP
activities. Hazards and potentially unsafe
behavior will be addressed immediately and
then reported to higher authority. Commanders
at all levels carry the responsibility of taking
immediate action against any CAP member who
places a fellow member at unnecessary risk.
Punitive measures may range from counseling
to the loss of membership.
Safety briefings are incorporated into all field
training exercises, encampments, and other
special activities where members face risk. The
Civil Air Patrol Safety Improvement or Hazard
Report, CAPF 26, and/or FAA Form 8740-5,
Safety Improvement Report, is used to suggest
ways to reduce operational risk to members.
4
Feb 2010
The CAP Safety Program is detailed in CAPR
62-1, Civil Air Patrol Safety Responsibilities and
Procedures (14 April 06) and CAPR 62-2,
Mishap Reporting and Investigation (22 Apr
05). You must complete the Basic Safety
Course found on the CAP University page of
http://www.capmembers.com/safety/safety_s
pecialty_track_training.cfm within 90 days of
joining CAP.
are conserved, and operational capability is
optimized.
Reporting Mishaps
A mishap is any unplanned or unsought event or
series of events that results in death, injury, or
damage to or loss of equipment or property.
Mishaps can be classified as bodily injury or
property damage to aircraft, to vehicles, or to
other property.
Operational Risk Management
(ORM)
The overall purpose of mishap reporting and
investigation is mishap prevention. Prompt
notification and reporting of all CAP mishaps to
the appropriate officials is mandatory. When
serious injury or death is involved, there will be
no formal or informal investigation conducted
by CAP unless directed by National
Headquarters.
CAP officially adopted ORM in May 1997. ORM
is a logic-based, common sense approach to
making calculated decisions on human,
material, and environmental factors associated
with any type of activity. Simply put, it's a
methodical, six-step process to manage
inherent risk.
Reporting Procedures
The ORM Process
When any mishap occurs during a CAP activity,
the unit or activity commander will immediately
notify the wing commander and wing safety
officer in accordance with the wing’s accident
reporting procedures.
1. Identify the hazards.
2. Assess the risks.
3. Analyze risk control measures.
4. Make control decisions.
Wing
commanders
(or their
designees) will
immediately
notify CAP
National Headquarters of all accidents
involving substantial damage, serious injury, or
death. In addition, the wing will also
immediately notify their state director’s office,
the CAP-USAF liaison region, and the CAP
region commander or their designee of all
5. Implement risk control.
6. Supervise and review.
The ORM process allows systematic risk
decision making that manages risk as part of
the whole operation, reduces mishaps, and
improves the cost-benefit ratio by lowering risk.
The end result is that people are safer, resources
5
Feb 2010
participate in certain missions.
aircraft accidents or incidents and all other
mishaps involving death or serious injury .
Cadet Protection
Operations Security
(OPSEC)
Child abuse and drug abuse both
represent menaces to America’s youth
and to the nation. Both are also
significant concerns for every youthserving organization, including Civil Air
Patrol. CAP is committed to doing
everything reasonably possible to
combat the potential for child abuse
within the organization and to
discourage cadets from illegal use of
alcohol and other drugs.
In conducting the day-to-day business of
Civil Air Patrol, members do not
routinely deal with classified
information. Those experienced
members who wish to perform certain
sensitive missions (e.g., for the Drug
Enforcement Agency or the dep’t of
Homeland Security) will receive
additional background screening and
training before being allowed to
participate.
CAPR 52-10 outlines the Cadet
Protection Policy and specifically
discusses these three areas of defined
abuse: sexual abuse, physical abuse,
and hazing. CAP members are expected
to avoid even the appearance of
impropriety involving cadets and to
report suspected abuse immediately. It
is every member’s obligation to report
any suspected incidents of child abuse or
neglect in accordance with published
CAP policies. CAPR 52-10 outlines
reporting requirements.
All CAP members may expect to come
across information that the Air Force or
CAP has deemed “Unclassified/For
Official Use Only” (FOUO). Common
examples of this are the Air Force radio
frequencies assigned to CAP. No matter
what the assignment in CAP, all adult
members must complete the online
OPSEC awareness training program at
https://tests.cap.af.mil/opsec. This is a
secure website and the initial screen will
ask some questions to verify the
member’s identity. The training takes
most members less than 20 minutes to
complete and concludes with an
agreement to protect sensitive
information.
The Cadet Protection Program Training
(CPPT) is required of every senior
member, cadet sponsor member, and
cadets 18 years of age or older. The
course is available on the CAP website
under “Cadet Protection.”
Once the member agrees, this “NonDisclosure Agreement” (NDA) will be
electronically recorded in the
membership record. This NDA is
required before the member can access
certain sensitive information or
6
Feb 2010
RESOURCES FOR “POLICIES” MODULE
• Ethics policy letter (25 August 05)
• Nondiscrimination Policy (CAPR 36-2)
• Cadet Protection Policy (CAPR 52-10)
• Cadet Protection Program Training
Student Guide (CAPP 50-3)
• Safety (CAPR 62-1, CAPR 62-2)
• OPSEC policy letter (5 June 06)
7
Feb 2010